Using a Festool Guide with a PC router

Re: Using a Festool Guide with a PC router

Jim in VA

>I'm sure it would not be too hard to come up with your own system, but if you want to go commercial you could check out www.microfence.com. They sell an adapter that allows the use of their micro adjustable edge guide with Festool guide rails.

Re: Using a Festool Guide with a PC router

ScottS

>I have the earlier Festool ATF55 saw, OF1000 router, and a number of Festool guide rails. When using the router, the Festool guide rails don't provide any added advantage over a straight board or whatever you're currently using to guide your router. As a result, I probably wouldn't spend a whole lot of time trying to make a non-Festool router work with the Festool rails...

FWIW, Festool attaches their router to the guide rails using a plastic "handle" that attaches to the rail and has a pair of steel rods that insert into the router base, just like many edge guides. If you want to attach your router, I'd buy the Festool "guide stop" (= the part that attaches to the guide rail), and some solid steel rods. Take the router, guide stop, and steel to a machine shop. If the guide stop and your router use different sized rods, get them to turn the stock on a lathe so that it fits in both. If the widths of the router and guide stop are different, and they probably are, have them heat the bars and bend them so they'll fit. Make the bends as close to the guide stop as possible.

Festool has different guide stops for all three routers. They range in price from $24 (for the OF1010) to $60 (for the OF1400). The stops for the OF1400 and OF2000 appear to include fine adjusters, which you want. The fine adjuster is a $17 option for the OF1010 guide stop. I'd pick the guide stop that most closely matches the spacing of your router. Folks from the Festool Owner's Group e-mail list could probably measure their guide stops and tell you the exact spacing (and diameter) of the rods that attach to the router.

Re: Using a Festool Guide with a PC router

Jay St. Peter - Southern MD

>I have an OF1400 with guide rail adapter and don't use it. I made more homemade guides for the new router and prefer them. Oddly enough, I prefer them for the same reason I like the reails with the saw. You know exactly where the saw will cut based on the rail edge. But, with the guide rail adapter the router hangs some random distance from the edge of the rail. It's more difficult to repeatably setup than my homemade jig which is easily aligned with the center of the dado I want to rout. Unlike the saw, the rail seems to need clamping when using the router guide.

When I get an MFT, I very well might change my mind on the rail guided router. With stop blocks, repeatability will be better.

Jay St. Peter